Deep down, we all have built up walls around us, but some have higher walls than others. For Violet, a prima ballerina, the world thinks she has it all as she packs to head to Juilliard. For Amber, the world thinks that she’s a murderer. Being locked up in Aurora Hills surely shows the justice s...

Working his way through a job that he dreads at a Laundromat, Kaz walks the line between adult and teenager. With his mother suffering from a rare sleep disorder, he has to provide for her, himself, and his little sister, Nomi. In the meantime, he is saving his money in hopes to send his mother ...

Who is Mackie Spence? Jeremy always thought he knew, because they grew up together but ever since Mackie almost drowned she is different. But why is she different all of a sudden? When Mackie and Jeremy find themselves working together at the animal shelter, Jeremy watches in awe at Mackie’s t...

I am a ballerina, Hair pulled tightly back into a bun, A permanent smile painted on my lips from the pink lipstick. I am a ballerina, Waltzing across the stage, Arms held high in fifth position, Shoulder blades nearly touching. Eyes narrowed in concentration as my feet take over, Mus...

“All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart" Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi.
If you ever looked into the eyes of an animal that has been abused, you will see the human emotions- the fear mixed with a glimmer of hope. Through my exper...

“Maybe we all die alone, but that doesn’t mean we need to live alone.” The quote from Kara Souders sums up the first season of the new show on Fox as it shows the importance of friendship in times of need. Red Band Society takes place in a hospital, Ocean Park Hospital, and follows the lives...

Every time I picture my Grandpa, I can make out his hands as his dominant figure, despite his inquisitive brown eyes or his distinctive nose, it was always his hands. Perhaps because from my earliest memories, our hands were always intertwined- always one when we are together. From a young age, hi...

I remember the first day that I walked into my English class and my eyes darted to the unfamiliar woman standing in the front. A look of confusion flashed over my face as I saw my teacher sitting in the back of the room. What was going on? I was only absent for a week for my surgery, but it seemed...

We all want to make a difference in the world, but what have you done to truly change it? For Sage Czinski, the small difference she has made in her school has earned her the name Post-It Princess. Wielding a glitter pen and post-it note, she manages to brighten a person’s day every day by placi...

I am disabled. It is not a term I tell others, but how can I deny who I truly am? It is not something to mention over a cup of tea or as light conversation; instead it's a hidden fact. The doctors from all the states combined can poke and prod, but how can they fix what was never really there? ...

Running from difficulties at home, Frances finds herself spending her summer at her aunt’s house. Her vacation is disturbed when she meets a strange man named Peter. Peter claims to be a messenger and knows that Frances is one too. With her frequent blackouts and strange pictures, Frances finds ...

Only a thin rope stands between life and death; don’t let your foot misstep. As a tight rope walker, Dominic walks a thin rope. When not walking on the rope, he also learns the thin rope of life as he grows up in the shipyards of northern England. His next door best friend, Holly, represents a d...

Raising the middle finger to someone in American society is seen as an offensive way to display emotions. Despite the offensiveness, the middle finger is often wielded towards other people without much thought. But how does it feel to be on the receiving end of the middle finger? That topic is...

When tragedy strikes true friendships are formed, even in the least expected places. This is true in the case of Renée and Flo. The two went to school for years, but suddenly they find themselves drawn to each other. Unfortunately, there is a block in their way- Sally. Renée’s supposed best ...

During the summer of 1963, JJ Green decides to take her destiny into her own hands. Encouraged by her parents to find a summer job, preferably at the family lawyer’s firm, she defies them by going against their wishes. As she follows her dreams, she finds an intern position in the Brill Bui...

What happens when you are a teenager and find yourself in hospice? This is the storyline behind Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon. The novel focuses on Richard who is a typical teenage boy, only he is destined to die. Knowing his fate, Richard decides to live each of his last days to th...

Mackenna Reid left behind the fairytale land of Doon for her love of theater. But when her Calling arrives in the form the Doonian prince she left on the bridge- Duncan- she begins to have her doubts. By telling Mackenna that her best friend Veronica, who is Queen of Doon, needs her help to fight an...

Earning a full-ride to Mills College for Girls seems to be the best thing that has ever happened to Sarah… until her heart falls in love making her doubt her decision. When she first met Mr. Haddings, Sarah had no idea how much he would change her future, making her consider his school UW as a pro...

What do three women from different time periods have in common? Their blood that defines who they are-whether they know it or not. In The Secret Daughter of the Tsar, by first-time debut novelist Jennifer Laam, three different perspectives are explored. Veronica is a struggling professor of Russian ...

With humans on the brink of extinction, Tania Deeley has been told she is a rarity- a human child. As a substitute for children, a company called Oxted Corporation has created tekenoids which are robot human children. But the problem is on the tekenoid’s eighteenth birthday, Oxted recalls their m...

The blue butterflies seem to be following her wherever she goes, but what does the sudden appearance mean? For Gloria, the butterflies appear as she leaves her hometown and departs for a summer at a prestigious “geek camp.” After losing her grandmother, Gloria vows to make the most out of her s...

Love- an emotion so powerful that cannot be denied. Unlike a light switch, people cannot choose who to fall in love with as the heart desires whoever it wants. For Farrin, a girl from a wealthy family in Tehran, Iran, is struggling with her love life. She had learned to live a low-key life, fear of ...

One who dreamed of the job. One who needed the community service. One who wanted to prove himself to others. What happens when three individuals are tied together by fate? Each had their own motivations for joining the Search and Rescue but no one signed up to be part of a murder investigation.
Th...

Love, fashion, and kidnappings. Which one does not belong? Kidnappings would be the obvious choice, yet the theme finds its way side-by-side with the others in Blonde Ops. A trouble-child due to her computer expertise, lands sixteen-year old Bec a one-way ticket to Rome to intern at one of the worl...

Facing the unknown is scary for anyone. But what happens if the one factor known suddenly vanishes? This is how Lynn feels in Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis after losing her security. Left on her own to the knowledge she has, she begins to learn that there is much more out there in the unknow...